World

Ukraine moves Christmas Day to December 25th in break from Russian tradition

New law signed by Volodymyr Zelenskiy moves official Christmas Day holiday from January 7th, in symbolic defiance of Russia’s 17-month-old war on his country

Iryna Pelekhata, whose husband and son were killed in Ukraine's war against Russia, is comforted by her younger son Maxym as they gather in Kyiv’s Independence Square. Photograph: Jae C Hong/AP
Iryna Pelekhata, whose husband and son were killed in Ukraine's war against Russia, is comforted by her younger son Maxym as they gather in Kyiv’s Independence Square. Photograph: Jae C Hong/AP
Felipe Dana, Associated Press
Sat Jul 29 2023 - 20:39

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has signed a law moving the country’s official Christmas Day holiday to December 25th from January 7th – the day the Russian Orthodox Church observes it.

An explanatory note attached to the law said its goal is to “abandon the Russian heritage”, including that of “imposing the celebration of Christmas” on January 7th, and cited Ukrainians’ “relentless, successful struggle for their identity” and “the desire of all Ukrainians to live their lives with their own traditions, holidays”, fuelled by Russia’s 17-month-old war on the country.

Last year, some Ukrainians observed Christmas on December 25th in a gesture representing separation from Russia, its culture and religious traditions.

The law also moves the Day of Ukrainian Statehood to July 15th from July 28th, and the Day of Defenders of Ukraine to October 1st from October 14th.

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The Russian Orthodox Church, which claims sovereignty over Orthodox Christianity in Ukraine, and some other Eastern Orthodox churches continue to use the ancient Julian calendar.

Christmas falls 13 days later on that calendar than it does on the Gregorian calendar used by most church and secular groups.

The Catholic Church first adopted the modern, more astronomically precise Gregorian calendar in the 16th century.

Protestants and some Orthodox churches have since aligned their own calendars for the purpose of calculating Christmas and Easter.

Ukraine’s religious landscape has been fractured for years.

There are two branches of Orthodox Christianity in the country, one aligned with the Russian church, even as it enjoys broad autonomy, the other completely independent of it.

The Orthodox Church of Ukraine, the branch separate from the Russian church, announced earlier this year it was switching to the Revised Julian calendar, which marks Christmas on December 25th.

Its leadership last year allowed believers to celebrate the holiday on December 25th.

Russia’s state news agency RIA Novosti said on Saturday the rival Orthodox Church, which is aligned with the Russian Orthodox Church, vowed to continue observing Christmas on January 7th.

[ Ukraine reportedly uses North Korean rockets to blast Russian forces ]

Mr Zelenskiy on Saturday travelled to the war-torn Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine, which Russia has illegally annexed but only partially occupies, and met with members of the country’s Special Operation Forces.

Mr Zelenskiy noted in an online statement that Saturday marks their official day of recognition and also the anniversary of the deadly attack on the Olenivka prison in the Russian-held part of the region in which dozens of prisoners of war were killed.

Russia and Ukraine accused each other of the attack, with both sides saying the assault was premeditated in a bid to cover up atrocities.

A United Nations fact-finding mission requested by Russia and Ukraine was sent to investigate the killings but the team was disbanded in January 2023 due to security concerns.

In a video statement on Saturday, Mr Zelenskiy described the attack as one of Russia’s “most vile and cruel crimes”.